Springfield daily republic. [volume] (Springfield, O. [Ohio]) 1887-1888, 1887-01-19
MANUFACTURE OF BOGUS WINES.
Imported Brands Made in New York

NfNNOF ~ ONH W OOoOo "''NISs
Ba>-mrnt-pi>tIIIati of Raisins.
There are several old Frenchmen in New
York who have made almost national repu-
'ations a> wine dealers and experts. They
have about retired from business, but, with
he proverhia thrift of their nation, they
still find time ia tend 10 their shops few
hours duly. Some Of them have large
restaurants in connection with their whole
sale and retail wine trade, and favored Gus
toners are often given an opportunity TO
SmaC < their lils over some rare old W ne.
who e label i too dust begrimad to b. legi-
Die and as they bold tine wine TO the light
5heJ become enthusiastic over its color,
flavor. and bouquet, and probably order
several dnz"n bottles Of il sent to their
homes
Now this wine may bc old and it may be
new II Elav have been imported from
Franco, or Irrchauce it was pressed out on
the sunny Italian hills: hut it is more than
probable that the old FrenChman, unless he
knows that his customer has trained and
delicate palate, has given him some wine
that i hat the partial product of the vine.
and was concerted under the skilled eye Of
monsieur i'll the sub basement Of the very
establishment where il is drunk. Why
should one find fault II is surely more COM
plimentaIy in host 10 give one the result
Of his own labor than to furnish one with
that of another II il Is n real wine there is
exactly one chance i'll 10000 that il is what
the label represents il TO be IL may be the
outcome of judicious mixture of several
indifferent varieties blended into n harmo-
niouS whole, or it may lie an American
wine sailing under false colorS.
Human ingenuity has never vet been able
to make wine without some small percentage
Of alcohol. 80 this element remains as
bas,. for the worst Of productions. As a
rule the manufactured wines are offered
either as California wines. or aS win Ordinaire
or sour clarrt They are the diSti'ation Of
raiSinS colur,l with lOgWood The raisns
are placed in a vat filed with water at a
temperature Of 60 dC2rc.'s. there heing fiftv
five gallons of water to every hundrSlweight
of raiSin>. Some sugar is often thrown in
Ia hasten fern, ,'ntation. which usually lasts
eight or ten days. at the end of which time
the liquid is drawn off and wine is made
II is, Of course pale. and it is dC"tored with
some high CUlorrd Spanish wine, which is
cheap and then a solution of logwood is
added. These wines do not, at the most,
contain more than 10 per cent. of alcohol,
and having but little tannin they will not
keep long. When wine is thus produced it
will not cost much. RaiSins are not expen-
sive. and moldy article answers as well
as one that is fresh. A noted French chem
ist has declared that the raisin wine, if
not drugged, is vastly more beautiful than
many OF the mixtures most Of them dele
terious, sold for genuine wine This may
give wine drinkers spark of encourage
ment. for there is no way of accounting for
the consumption of the enormous raisin pro-
ducts of Italy. Turkey, Spain and Greece,
unless one admit, that they are used TO take
the place Of grapes.-New York CONNER
cial Advertiser